New Zealand 128 for 9 (Plimmer 33, Dottin 4-22, Fletcher 2-23) beat West Indies 120 for 8 (Dottin 33, Carson 3-29, Kerr 2-14) by eight runs
New Zealand stormed into the ultimate of the Girls’s T20 World Cup after 14 years, beating the 2016 champions West Indies by eight runs in a low-scoring thriller in Sharjah. New Zealand will meet the 2023 version’s runners-up South Africa because the match is ready for a first-time champion.
New Zealand weren’t flawless, having dropped 5 catches within the area, however their bowlers discovered a approach to cease West Indies to 120 for 8.
Eden Carson was the Participant of the Match for a second successive recreation•ICC/Getty Pictures
Carson makes early inroads
Carson has been New Zealand’s go-to powerplay bowler, having taken 4 of her 5 wickets previous to the semi-final on this section. On Friday, she as soon as once more set the tone with the ball. After conceding two fours to Qiana Joseph, the offspinner bowled a size ball on center that spun previous the batter’s swipe to knock her stumps. Quickly 16 for no loss grew to become 20 for two when Carson darted one full and vast of off for Shemaine Campbelle to step out and miscue one in direction of additional cowl, the place Suzie Bates took a diving catch. The wickets slowed down West Indies with Matthews and Taylor transferring at a snail’s tempo. Carson got here again once more for the ninth over when Matthews and Taylor smashed a 4 every to choose up tempo however the offspinner had the final snigger, bowling Taylor for a 20-ball 13 as she mistimed a slog sweep. She ended with figures of three for 29 and the Participant-of-the-Match award.
West Indies dominate the powerplay
Matthews was pleased to bowl first, which was evident in the way in which they began with the ball. Within the first six overs, bowled equally by spin and tempo, West Indies stored New Zealand quiet, leaking simply 32 runs. Quick bowler Chinelle Henry bowled three of her 4 overs contained in the powerplay, hitting the arduous lengths and extracting motion within the air and off the floor to not let Bates and Georgia Plimmer get going. Two of New Zealand’s three fours on this section have been freebies – a full toss off Zaida James and an overpitched supply from Henry. Plimmer struggled to search out her timing early on. Bates tried to maneuver throughout and are available down the observe to search out fast runs however to little impact.
Deandra Dottin grew to become the primary girl with three four-plus wicket hauls on the T20 World Cup•ICC/Getty Pictures
Dottin rips by way of New Zealand
It did not matter that Dottin was bowling just for the second time on this T20 World Cup. She put her decade-long expertise to make use of on a pitch that was not straightforward to bat on. She bowled principally full and straight, and blended it cleverly with slower deliveries which was sufficient to hassle New Zealand. Dottin struck together with her second ball to take away Kerr for 7. However Brooke Halliday and Devine’s fast begins revived the innings; the duo added 27 off the subsequent 14 balls.
However in Dottin’s second over, the fifteenth of the innings, swung the momentum as soon as once more in direction of West Indies. There was a brief break in play after Halliday was hit on her left foot by a throw from deep midwicket. Dottin fired in a yorker the subsequent ball. Halliday missed jamming her bat down at it and noticed her off stump pegged again. She made 18 off 9 balls.
Within the following over, Afy Fletcher dismissed Devine for a run-a-ball 12, and New Zealand, at 98 for five, wanted Maddy Inexperienced and Isabella Gaze to step up. However Dottin denied them that chance. She first despatched again Inexperienced after which trapped Rosemary Mair lbw with the assistance of DRS. At 104 for 7, New Zealand appeared to have misplaced the plot. However they managed to eke out 24 from the final three overs, which proved to be decisive in the long run.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
